The invention relates to cancer therapy.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States. It is estimated that as many as 40 million Americans are infected with HPV, and the incidence of this disease appears to be increasing. More than 100 types of HPV have been identified. HPVs are DNA viruses that infect the proliferative layer of the dermis and cause hyperproliferative lesions (warts), which occasionally progress to full malignancy. HPV infection can lead to genital warts and has been closely associated with the development of cervical cancer and other cancers. The high-risk HPV types are associated with cancers of the anogenital epithelium. HPV oncogenic function has been mapped to the early viral genes E6 and E7, but mechanisms of oncogenesis remain undefined.